Polymer architecture
Here’s another commercial building, and no doubt a nice one too. But just another commercial building. Yet there is something different here and it’s in the materials used. The cladding is a fibre-reinforced polymer, or a FRP, and has a finish similar to that of a car. This technology has not been used on buildings extensively, though it has been used commonly in aerospace industries due to its higher strength to weight ratio than steel and concrete. The building by Foster and Partners — called The Walbrook — is located in London and is due to be completed in 2009.
Tagged: London
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I’m a Swedish illustrator based in London. At first glance my work looks sweet and innocent; it’s filled with pastel colours and cute animals. But some of the pieces also have darker themes in them. To the North Pole, for example, tells the story of two sisters’ journey to the Arctic where they meet a grim end in the belly of a polar bear. Read more
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared animation
I’ve been a fan of This Is It Collective’s work since I saw their first video, Bad Things That Could Happen. This Is It is a collective of illustrators, animators, artists and designers based in London and they produce colourful, well-designed animations and videos. This one in particular made me snigger with joy.
Oddities abound at the Wellcome Collection London
Napoleon Bonaparte’s toothbrush, Charles Darwin’s walking stick, Lord Nelson’s razor, pieces of tattoed human skin from 1850, male anti-masturbation devices from 1880 … all those pieces are in the Wellcome Collection permanent exhibition in London. Half morbid and half historic, they have excellent temporary exhibitions, but their permanent one is worth the visit to this not very famous museum.
Also by SNELL
This house has many facets that make it an intriguing example. First of all, it is a very aesthetically pleasing project with the use of light horizontal timbers and a clean pitched roof. Designed by MOS, an interesting design collective based in America, the secret to the Floating House is that it floats on a structure of steel pontoons. The house rises and falls with the changing waters and is frozen in place depending on the season. The steel pontoons were constructed first and towed to the lake outside the contractor’s factory and then the house was built atop of it. When finished it was towed to its position, anchored and enjoyed in its unique position. Finally, it forms a bridge between the land and an island. Wonderful!
Dutch uber-firm OMA, headed by Rem Koolhaas, has created this concept in Mexico City to symbolize the coming two hundred years of Mexico’s independence. There are many layers of symbolism in this building, from Mayan pyramids to which part of the building controls the park and which part controls the city, to the fact that the bulge of the building is below the centre height, and that it all happens on a relatively small footprint. Most of all, in this building there is a barely contained energy that seems near to release and it may be that this is what Torre Bicentenario represents.
The Danes are renowned for their considered and subtle design. However, in these times of change, they must feel they need something with this selection of a bridge building as the winner of a recent architectural competition in Denmark. The American architect Steven Holl designed this building with a pedestrian bridge that links two sides of the harbour in the distinctly low-rise Copenhagen. Read more
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Surrealism is a well-worn genre at this point, but Florida-based artist Jacques de Beaufort does it so well that it’s like the viewer is seeing clocks melt for the first time. Read more
I tend to not like most folksy, craftsy, text-and-graphics-based art, but British artist William Edmonds does it really well. His images and ideas are actually compelling and often weird, way better than just a bird silk-screened on a piece of drift wood. Read more
I’m really excited about the Melbourne band Plug-in City. They remind me of Belle & Sebastian, The Kooks and Cut Copy all in one. What more can us New Yorkers ask for?
French architects Karine Chartier and Thomas Corbasson designed the Paul Belmondo Museum, a contemporary art museum located in an 18th-century castle in Boulogne-Billancourt. Read more
Lisa Fiore’s work is subtlety conceptualized and incredibly painted, offering a calm, clean and neatly designed image, while also possessing haunting, conceptual ideas. She works within still life and landscape narrative. Read more
At a gig last year Foals were forced to abandon their last song halfway through because the stage was stormed by too many crazed fans. The reason behind the hype they’re creating, both on stage and in the normally merciless media, isn’t immediately clear upon first listen: the sound is less than friendly on the ears, and they don’t employ the same catchy hooks and melodic chorus patterns that shoot your average band to fame in their early years. Read more
Ring out the bad, and ring in the good, Yessir, these Happy Day and Crappy Day rings are just that: a jolt of brutal realism cloaked in saccharine sweet colourings.
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Matthew Dear’s Black City album totem
Our friends at Ghostly International are releasing Matthew Dear’s Black City album as a limited edition ‘totem’. A what? A totem – a limited edition metal bar used to access a private music chamber. Cool! Read more
A little infectious lollipop rock anyone? Feel free to embarrass yourself singing along at the stoplight. If the other drivers give you that look, roll down the windows and spread the love.
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Never ever, ever, ever, ever park here
Some friendly advice for the neighbours, who simply don’t get it, or street art? You decide which one it is.
Michelle Blade’s psychedelic artwork
Michelle Blade’s washed out paintings are deceptively simple, her washy acrylics creating psychedelic textures and conjuring ghostly figures from the past. Read more
Benjamin Edminston’s psychedelic heads seem to have some fearful wisdom behind their blissed-out eyes. Read more
Inside this sea urchin shell is an organic perfume made from grapefruit and basil essential oils. This bottle, designed by Stephanie Simek, is refillable and is packaged in a wooden box decorated with a satin photograph and padded with slices of exfoliating loofah sea sponges. The Honeymoon-themed fragrance is all natural: made from plant-based oils and contains no alcohol or chemicals. We like. Read more
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